10135. 'And you shall offer the other lamb between the evenings' means a similar removal of evils in a state of light and love in the external man. This is clear from the meaning of 'offering a lamb', or sacrificing it, as being removed from evils by means of the good of innocence from the Lord, as immediately above in 10134; and from the meaning of 'between the evenings' as in a state of light and love in the external man. In the Word 'evening' means a state involving interior things when the truths of faith are set in obscurity, and forms of the good of love are in some coldness; for angels experience different states of love and light, just as in the world different times of day - morning, midday, evening, night or twilight prior to morning, and morning again - give way to one another. When the angels experience a state of love, to them it is morning, and the Lord appears before them as the rising Sun. When they experience a state of light, to them it is midday. When however they experience a state of light set in obscurity, to them it is evening; and when after this they experience a state of love set in obscurity or some coldness, for them it is night, or rather the twilight before morning.

[2] Such states experienced by the angels follow unceasingly one after another, and serve unceasingly to make them more perfect. But those changes are not due to the Sun there, to its rising and setting, but to the state of the interiors within the angels themselves; for as with people in the world they have a desire at one time to turn towards their internal interests, at another towards their external ones. When they turn towards internal interests they experience a state of love and consequently of light in clearness, and when they turn towards external interests they experience a state of love and consequently of light set in obscurity; for what is external is such, compared with what is internal. This is the origin of the changes of state experienced by angels. The reason why they have such states and such changes is that the Sun of heaven, which in that world is the Lord, is the Divine Love itself. Therefore the heat radiating from it is the good of love, and the light from it is the truth of faith. For everything radiating from that Sun has life, unlike the things radiating from the sun in the world, which are dead.

[3] From this it becomes clear what heavenly heat is and what heavenly light is, also why it is that 'heat', 'flame', and 'fire' in the Word mean the good of love, 'light' and its 'brightness' the truth of faith, and 'the sun' the Lord Himself in respect of Divine Love.

The Lord in heaven is the Sun, see 3636, 3643, 4321(end), 5097, 7078, 7083, 7171, 7173, 8812.

The heat from it is the good of love, 3338, 3339, 3636, 3693, 4018, 5215, 6032, 6314.

The light from that Sun is Divine Truth, the source of faith, intelligence, and wisdom, see the places referred to in 9548, 9684.

From all this it now becomes clear what 'morning' and what 'evening' mean.

[4] But it should be recognized that in the present verse 'the morning' implies midday as well, and evening early morning twilight as well; for when the words 'morning and evening' are used in the Word an entire day is meant, so that 'morning' includes midday, and 'evening' night or twilight. This explains why 'the morning' in the present verse means a state of love and also of light in clearness, that is, in the internal man, and 'the evening' a state of light, as well as of love in obscurity, that is, in the external man.

[5] The fact that 'between the evenings' is not used to mean the period of time between the evening of one day and the evening of the next day, but the time between evening and morning, thus all of the night or twilight, is evident from the consideration that the continual burnt offering of a lamb was presented not only in the evening but also in the morning. From this it becomes clear that something similar is meant elsewhere by 'between the evenings', for example, where it says that the Passover should be kept between the evenings, Exodus 12:6; Numbers 9:5, 11, which is explained in yet another place by the following words,

You shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening when the sun goes down, at the fixed time of the departure from Egypt. After that you shall cook and eat it in the place which Jehovah your God will have chosen; and in the morning you shall turn ¹ and go into your tents. Deuteronomy 16:6-7.

[6] The fact that 'evening' in general means a state of light shining in obscurity is clear in Jeremiah,

Arise, and let us go up into the south. Woe to us, for the day goes away, for the shadows of evening are set at an angle! Arise, and let us go up at night, and let us destroy the palaces. Jeremiah 6:4-5.

Here 'evening' and 'night' mean the last times of the Church, when all matters of faith and love have been destroyed. In Zechariah,

There will be one day, which is known to Jehovah, when around evening time there will be light. On that day living waters will go out from Jerusalem. And Jehovah will be King over all the earth. Zechariah 14:7-9.

This refers to the Lord's Coming. The end of the Church is meant by 'evening time'; 'light' is the Lord's Divine Truth. A similar example occurs in Daniel,

The holy one said to me, Up to the evening, [when it is becoming] the morning, two thousand three hundred times. Daniel 8:13-14.

3268. 'Nebaioth, Ishmael's firstborn, and Kedar, and Abdeel, and Mibsam; and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa; Hadad, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah' means everything that constitutes the spiritual Church, in particular among the gentiles. This is clear from the representation of these individuals whose names are given. Some of them are mentioned again in the Word, in particular in the prophetical part, such as Nebaioth, Kedar, Dumah, and Tema. There they mean such things as constitute the spiritual Church, in particular among gentiles. This is in addition evident from the fact that there are twelve of them, and 'twelve' means all things that make up faith, and so the Church, to be dealt with below. In verse 16 below it is therefore said that they were 'twelve princes of their peoples'.

[2] That 'Nebaioth and Kedar' represent those things that constitute the spiritual Church, in particular among gentiles, that is to say, its goods and its truths derived from these, is clear in Isaiah,

A drove of camels will cover you, dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will proclaim the praises of Jehovah. The whole flock of Kedar will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will minister to you; they will come up with acceptance on My altar. Isaiah 60:6-7.

This refers in the highest sense to the Lord, and in the relative sense to His kingdom. 'The flock of Kedar' stands for spiritual good - 'a flock' being spiritual good, see 343, 415, 2566. 'The rams of Nebaioth' stands for spiritual truth - 'a ram' being spiritual truth, 2833.

[3] Kedar is Arabia, as is evident from the places quoted below; and Arabia was named Kedar after Ishmael's son, as becomes clear from the fact that the names mentioned in these two verses are those of countries or nations which were all named after the sons and grandsons of Abraham, as Midian, Ephah, and Sheba above in verses 2-4, and so Kedar and Nebaioth here. In Ezekiel,

Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, these were the merchants of your hand in lambs, and in rams, and in he-goats. In these they were your merchants. Ezekiel 27:21.

This refers to Tyre, that is, to people who possess cognitions of good and truth - 'Tyre' being such persons, see 1201. 'Arabia' stands for spiritual good, 'the princes of Kedar' for spiritual truths. 'Lambs, rams, and he-goats' are spiritual goods and truths.

[4] In Jeremiah,

Arise, go up to Kedar, and lay waste the sons of the east. They will take their tents and their flocks, their curtains and all their vessels, and bear their camels away from them. Jeremiah 49:28-29.

This refers to the vastation of the spiritual Church meant by 'Kedar' and 'the sons of the east'. 'Tents and flocks' stands for the goods of that Church, 'curtains and vessels' for its truths. The sacred things of worship are meant by 'tents and flocks', and by 'curtains and vessels'; but the sacred things of worship are all related to good and truth.

[5] Those however who have no truth because no good resides with them are represented by Arabs and Kedarites in the wilderness, as in Isaiah,

Babel will not be dwelt in for ever, the Arab will not remain there. Isaiah 13:20.

In the same prophet,

Let the wilderness and its cities lift up [their voice], the villages which Kedar inhabits. Isaiah 42:10-11.

In Jeremiah,

By the wayside you have sat waiting for them, like an Arab in the wilderness. Jeremiah 3:2.

In David,

Woe is me, for I sojourn in Meshech; I delay among the tents of Kedar. Psalms 120:5.

In Isaiah,

In the forest in Arabia you will spend the night, O bands of Dedanites. To the thirsty bring water; O inhabitants of the land of Tema, meet with his bread the fugitive, for they will flee before the swords, before the drawn sword, before the bent bow, and before the grievousness of war. For thus said the Lord to me, Within a year, according to the year of a hireling, and all the glory of Kedar will come to an end; and the remainder of the number of the bows of the mighty men of the sons of Kedar [will be few]. Isaiah 21:13-17.

'Spending the night in the forest of Arabia' stands for being vastated as regards truth, and 'the bands of Dedanites' stands for those who possess cognitions, 3240, 3241 (end). 'The inhabitants of the land of Tema' stands for those in whom simple good is present, such as exists with upright gentiles - people, it is clear, who were descended from Ishmael's son called Tema. 'Kedar' stands for those who possess simple truth, of whom it is said that 'they are going to flee before the swords, and before the grievousness of war', which means that they will not experience the conflicts that are brought about by temptations because good does not exist with them any longer.

[6] In Jeremiah,

Pass over to the islands of the Kittians and see, and send to Kedar and examine closely, and see whether there has been such a thing, whether a nation has changed its gods, which are no gods. Jeremiah 2:10-11.

'The islands of the Kittians' stands for those who are more remote from worship, that is, for gentiles in whom simple good and consequently natural truth are present, 1156, 1158 - 'Kedar' also meaning, it is evident, such people. In the same prophet,

I took the cup from Jehovah's hand and made all the nations to whom Jehovah sent me drink it - Dedan and Tema, and Buz, and all who have cut the corners [of their hair]; and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the west, dwelling in the wilderness. Jeremiah 25:17, 23-24.

This too refers to the vastation of the spiritual Church which among other names is called Tema and Arabia. From this it is evident that Tema, like Arabia, means those who belong to the spiritual Church. To Arabia however kings and also cities are attributed, but to Kedar princes and villages.

[7] In addition to these Dumah is also mentioned, in Isaiah 21:11-12. The reason why those nations mean the things that constitute the spiritual Church is that the Ancient Church, which was a spiritual Church, existed among them also, 1238, 2385, though their doctrinal teachings and religious observances varied. Nevertheless there was only one Church because those people made charity, not faith, the essential thing. In course of time however, as charity came to an end, that special feature of the Church which existed with them died out. Nevertheless a representative of the Church through them was maintained which differed according to that form of the Church that had once existed among them. Consequently when these nations are mentioned in the Word it is not these nations that are meant but only that form of the Church in general which had once existed there.